The Red Menace
by Maven Cree
Summary: Even Batman is not immune from temptation.


**Disclaimer:**  Any characters previously mentioned in a DC comic, I do not own.  DC does.  I'm not making money off of this.  

**Rating:**  G

©October 2001

The Red Menace By Gates 

Dick bit down on his anxiety as he drove through the long caverns leading to the main section of the Batcave.

Bruce was late.

Bruce was never late.

He had asked the former boy wonder to meet him on top of the Gotham One tower at 12:30am.  Nightwing had waited until 1:45 before trying to contact the Bat.

There was no answer.

Oracle hadn't heard from him that evening.  And Tim and Alfred hadn't spoken to him in some time.  Before worrying the rest of the troops, Dick decided to check out the cave.  There might have been some clue as to where he had gone.  Batman didn't allow a tracer on his costume, so Dick would have to use old-fashioned detective work to find his mentor.

Relief washed over the young vigilante as he cleared the caverns and saw the familiar form of his father seated in front of the Crays computer.  After his relief, a momentary twinge of anger hit him.  Bruce and his damn secrets.  To hell with the fact that someone else might be worried about him.

His annoyance paused as he noticed the computer was off and Batman wasn't moving.  The cowl was drawn back and his head was resting on his fingertips, but he made no attempt to acknowledge anything, let alone Dick's presence.

Something was definitely wrong.

"Batman." He said clumping loudly up the steps towards the workstation.

"You were late." He continued when there was no answer.  "What are you doing?"

"..."

"Bruce?" Dick placed a hand on the older man's shoulder.

Batman took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair.

"Sorry." Was all that he said, but it was enough to send several red flags up in Nightwing's brain.  He could count the number of times on one hand that Bruce had ever apologized, and have fingers to spare.

"What's wrong Bruce?  You're starting to weird me out here."

"Nothing's wrong."

"Yeah, you always sit here looking at a blank screen, missing appointments and apologizing.  Come on, what's up?"

"Nothing."

"Has something happened?"

"No."

"Are you alright?"

"...Fine."

"You're lying."

Bruce shook his head.

"I'll be fine Dick.  Just give me a few minutes."

"Give you a few...?  Waitaminute.  What's that smell?"

"What smell?"

"_That_ smell.  Fruits or something."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Dick narrowed his eyes and stood in front of his mentor.  Batman turned his head away.

"Bruce..."

"I'm fine."

"Open your mouth."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Open!"

"Meet me at Wayne Towers in twenty minutes."

"You O.D.ed didn't you?!"

"Dick..."

"You did!  God!  I can't believe it!  After all theses years! Bruce!"

"I didn't intend for it to go this far."

"You didn't intend?!  Look at you!  You can barely move can you?!"

"I'll be fine."

"Alfred leaves and you go right back to it.  What?  Do you need a babysitter, now?"

"I'll be fine."

"What set you off this time, Bruce?  Fight with Tim?  Loose a case?"

"..."

"Ugh!"  Nightwing threw his hands up in frustration and stormed off.

Bruce leaned his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes.  A few minutes later he heard Dick's footsteps approaching again.

"Drink this."

Bruce wearily eyed the bottle of cold water that Dick was holding out to him.

"No."

"Bruce..."

"No."

"You don't and I'm going straight to Leslie and Alfred."

Bruce visibly winced at the threat.  The last thing he wanted was a lecture from those two.  The last time this had happened...

With a sigh, Batman took the bottle and twisted off the cap.  He took a mouthful and let it painfully slide down his throat.

"The _whole thing_." Nightwing prompted threateningly.

Batman did his best to give Dick 'the look', but in his current condition, it wasn't working.  He knew he wasn't getting out of this one.  He took another gulp.

"Where are the packets?"

"Why?"

"Cause I'm getting rid of 'em, that's why?  You obviously can't be trusted with them."

"Dick..."

"Bruce... Where. Are. They?"

Bruce blew out a breath and pointed towards one of the tables they used to examine evidence on.  This one had a sink and a storage cupboard.

Nightwing shook his head in disgust.

He opened one of the cupboards and found seven of the dreaded packets.

"Man!  You don't do things half way do you?  You don't just OD.  You do it with the most dangerous of them all!  You punched yourself out! This is it, Bruce!  I mean it."  He tossed the packets into the abyss of the cave.

"I don't _ever_ want to hear about you O.D.ing on red Kool-Aid again!  Got that? _Ever_!"

"Yes, Dick." Came a miserable mumble from the chair.

Nightwing shook his head and muttered to himself.

"There's gotta be a support group for people like this."

End.


End file.
